Cross Country Programs Turn Attention To Midwest Regional
The University of Southern Indiana cross country programs turn their attention to the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Championships this Saturday at Angel Mounds. The men’s 10-kilometer race begins at 10:30 a.m., while the women’s 6k is slated for an 11:45 a.m. start time.
Eagles in the Rankings
Improving by a single spot in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 25 and Midwest Region rankings, the USI women’s cross country team jumped Cedarville University in both polls last week. In the national poll, USI sits five points outside the top five in sixth with 161 points. Grand Valley State continues to lead the region poll with a second place ranking in the USTFCCCA Top 25.
With seven of 10 schools shifting position in the USTFCCCA Top 10, the Eagles’ men moved into seventh after gaining 18 more points in the poll. In the final Midwest Region poll, the top two spots remained unchanged with Grand Valley State and USI atop the list. The following five places all shifted after the conference championships week.
GLVC Dominance Continues
Junior Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) earned the first GLVC Runner of the Year award for the USI women’s program since 2011 to help the Eagles win their sixth-straight GLVC championship. The time of 20 minutes, 36.03 seconds for Roberts set a new GLVC record, as did the USI margin of victory (55 points). Senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan) earned a second-place finish, while three others joined the duo on the All-GLVC team.
Seven All-GLVC runners at the conference championships sealed the men’s 12th-consecutive GLVC championship and 24th overall, the most of any sport in GLVC history. Junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) paced the Screaming Eagles with a runner-up performance, while senior Chase Broughton(Marengo, Indiana) also earned a top-five finish placing fourth. Freshman Nathan Hall (Springfield, Missouri) earned GLVC Freshman of the Year honors with a 13th-place finish, the eighth time and second-straight year a USI runner has earned the award.
2015 Results
Grand Valley State University won both the men’s and women’s regional crowns a year ago. The Lakers have won the last 15 women’s regional championships and the previous 14 men’s regional titles.
With a fifth-place finish, USI’s women were the final team earning a spot at the NCAA II National Championships, falling just 11 points short of third place. Junior Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) and senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan) enter Saturday’s race as favorites in the women’s race after leading USI to its sixth straight GLVC title. Roberts was fifth at the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships a year ago and is the top returning runner in this year’s race, while Reeves was 16th. Grand Valley State’s Kendra Foley, who was sixth at last year’s regional, also is among the favorites in the women’s race after capturing the GLIAC title this year.
In the men’s race, Grand Valley State defeated the field by 79 points. The Eagles placed second with a four-point margin over GLVC foe, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The Rangers’ Jake Dubnicka us the top returning finisher from the 2015 event after a third place finish. Chase Striegal of Bellarmine University and Zach Panning of Grand Valley State also return after rounding out the top-five finishers in 2015. Senior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) earned All-Region honors with a ninth-place finish a year ago.
Regional Field
The Midwest Region consists of teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Around 30 teams and more than 200 student athletes are expected to compete in each race.
Grand Valley State is the top-ranked team in both the men’s and women’s races as the Lakers enter the weekend ranked No. 2 in both U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Top 25 polls.
The Midwest Region also is represented by six teams in the USTFCCCA Women’s Top 25. In addition to Grand Valley State and USI, the region also features No. 8 Cedarville, No. 10 Northern Michigan University, No. 11 Hillsdale College and No. 22 Bellarmine. Lewis University and the Wisconsin-Parkside are receiving votes outside the Top 25.
In the men’s Top 25, the Midwest Region is also represented by Saginaw Valley State University (No. 13), Hillsdale (No. 17), Lewis (No. 22) and Bellarmine (No. 11). Walsh University is receiving votes outside the Top 25.
The top five teams from each race Saturday advance to the NCAA II National Championships, which are November 19 in St. Leo, Florida. The top three individuals not from a qualifying team—or the top five overall individuals if none are from qualifying teams—advance to the national meet as well. All-Midwest Region honors go to the top 25 finishers in each race.
2016 NCAA II Midwest Regional
This is the third consecutive year that USI and the Evansville Sports Corporation have teamed up to host the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships at Angel Mounds. The NCAA II National Championships will be at Angel Mounds in 2017.
With a 10:30 a.m. start time, the men’s 8k race takes place first, followed by the women’s 6k at 11:45 a.m.
